


Afternoons (More or Less)

by Brightspark (Kitchat)



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Comfort, Genji has doubts, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-04
Updated: 2017-09-04
Packaged: 2018-12-24 00:58:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12001608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kitchat/pseuds/Brightspark
Summary: Overwatch feels like a lifetime ago, and Genji still isn't sure if he made the right choice in accepting the Recall.





	Afternoons (More or Less)

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Dawn (or Thereabouts)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7701706) by [NeverwinterThistle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeverwinterThistle/pseuds/NeverwinterThistle). 



> So I meant to write this for Genyatta week, and by this I mean _last year's_ Genyatta week. Better late than never, right?
> 
> This whole thing was written in its entirety on Evernote on my phone, so _that's_ an accomplishment in and of itself. When I came across it recently, having forgotten about it for almost a year, I was surprised by how different the writing style is to what I usually write, and how much I enjoyed reading it. To this day, I'm still not 100% sure that I wrote this...
> 
> Enjoy!

"Genji. Genji," a gentle hand and an even gentler voice awakes Genji from his hibernation state. "We have almost arrived."

 

Genji mumbles something that could vaguely pass as a thanks, picks up his visor, and repositions it over his face with a quiet click. 

 

"Did you rest well, my student?" Zenyatta asks quietly, head tilted to the side. "You seemed so peaceful, I am regretful that I had to be the one to interrupt it."

 

"You shouldn't be, Master. Or else we'd both be stranded on this boat for longer than necessary," Genji gets up from his seated position and goes through a few of his routine morning stretches. His cybernetic body does not need the warm up exercises like his human body did, but Zenyatta has always encouraged Genji to go through the motions anyways-- partially to give Genji a schedule to rely on, partially to remind Genji that though his body was new and foreign, it still needed care and maintenance. 

 

"I see no problem with that. I for one, love the sea voyage," Zenyatta motions to the cramped cabin they share. "It's refreshing to be out in the open with a nice sea breeze... when we can catch it, anyways."

 

The boat hits a rough wave at that moment, rocking the entire vessel, and catching Genji unaware so that he stumbles off balance. "Perhaps it is more enjoyable for those of us whose legs do not need to remain planted on the ground."

 

Zenyatta wiggles his feet, which are dangling a few inches off the floor, and says in an innocent tone, "Ah yes, that certainly would help." Had he human features, Genji is certain he would have been grinning.

 

A harsh knocking cuts through the banter between master and student. "We've got an hour left before we dock," the voice of the ship's captain growls out, muffled by the closed door. "You two need to be long gone before inspection time."

 

"Thank you kindly. We appreciate the notice," Zenyatta acknowledges. "We will leave as soon as we can and will not trouble you further."

 

The captain gives another of his signature grunts and Genji hears him shuffle off, seemingly satisfied by the Omnic's answer.

 

"Such warm wishes," Genji snorts, sitting himself down now that his stretches had been completed, "and yet far more help than I had expected."

 

The Recall had been made recently, but the trip overseas had taken days-- even without taking into account the difficulty that they had encountered with trying to find vessels willing to take aboard a cyborg and an Omnic monk. Air travel for them had always been completely out of the equation.

 

It was Zenyatta who had arranged their passage with the owner of a fishing boat. The captain had been wary of them, but had not treated them with the visceral hate that Genji almost come to expect.

 

While it was fortunate that they even had transportation in the first place, Genji worried that too much time had passed since the Recall. After all this time, would the team still be at the old Watchpoint? With the Petras Act in place, it would be dangerous for such a large group of prominent individuals to gather. Surely the team realized this and were likely already on the move.

 

But even if the team was still at the Watchpoint, would they still have need of him? His time at Overwatch had been tumultuous and confusing, and while he had been a vital part of operations, he had been mostly involved in taking down the Shimada empire. Now that his family had been more or less dismantled, what use did he serve? Plus, he had been a different person in the past and he... hadn't exactly always been the most pleasant person to work with, Genji remembers with a quiet wince. Would they be willing to reconcile?

 

"Genji, is something troubling you?" Zenyatta's voice cuts through Genji's thoughts. Startled, he realizes that he has been tapping his fingers nervously against his knees. A tell-tale tic he had developed.

 

Genji's first impulse is to lie and tell Zenyatta that he's just antsy from being inside for too long in a space that would have cramped his human muscles, but he dismisses that thought: Zenyatta is too perceptive and knows Genji too well to buy that. And, well, the Omnic monk is someone Genji can trust with his thoughts. "I am worried we will not be wanted," Genji admits softly. It sounds so insignificant and he feels ridiculous when he admits it, but he takes a deep breath and recalls Zenyatta's lessons. There is no shame in feeling. There is no shame in uncertainty.

 

Zenyatta sits in understanding silence as Genji struggles to put his thoughts in order. Genji takes a few deep breaths, centering himself and trying to calm the thoughts buzzing like wasps in his mind. Zenyatta, with the same deliberate gentleness and understanding, reaches out a hand towards Genji, leaving it palm up in the air between Master and Student. Genji takes his hand gratefully, fingers slotting together in a comfortable, familiar way.

 

"Take all the time you need, dear Genji. You do not have to tell me if it is hard for you."

 

"No, no," Genji protests, clasping his other hand over Zenyatta's hand and squeezing. "I'm just nervous. It has been so long. I do not know if we will be welcome. It is a silly thought, and yet..."

 

Zenyatta gives a little metallic hum as he considers Genji's words, head titled as he considers his pupil. No matter what he says, or how small and insignificant he feels his thoughts are, Genji knows he can always count on Zenyatta to give his full attention and consideration.

 

"And yet I can't help but be trapped by thoughts of 'what if'. What if they don't want us there? What if we're unneeded?" Genji finishes softly.  _What if they expect me to be the person I no longer am?_  Try as he might, he can't form the words to tell Zenyatta about his most insistent demon lurking in his mind.

 

Zenyatta raises his other hand and rests it tenderly on Genji's cheek. Instinctively, Genji leans into the warm metal, seeking solace from the miasma of thoughts swirling in his brain. "Genji," Zenyatta whispers his name softly, tenderly, in a voice laden with a thousand emotions, "are you worried they will see you as the person you used to be?"

 

Leave it to Zenyatta to get to the heart of the matter. Hearing his primary concern laid bare in front of them makes Genji feel vulnerable and--for lack of a better word--naked. His first impulse is to draw away from Zenyatta, remove himself from the intensity of the Omnic's stare and brush off his teacher's concern so that he may armor himself again with his carefree attitude. Genji quashes down the urge to do so; Zenyatta is his dearly trusted confidant. He is the last person in this world who would ridicule Genji's thoughts, despite how outrageous they feel to Genji.

 

Genji leans into Zenyatta's palm, anchoring himself in the warmth of his love for Zenyatta. "Zenyatta, I did not leave the rest of Overwatch with good impressions. How I acted when you and I first met... that is their parting memory of me. There is a part of me that expects them to turn me away, if they remember me as I used to be. And... I wouldn't entirely blame them."

 

Zenyatta's hand drifts over the cords of Genji's neck, feather-light and repetitive strokes that aim to relax and soothe the tension building in him. "Genji, I cannot promise you they won't see you as the conflicted young man you used to be, and that, I sadly cannot change," Zenyatta murmurs softly, gentle manner at odds with the harsh truth, "but neither will their view of you stay stagnant."

 

Zenyatta cups Genji's face in both his hands, cradling his beloved pupil as he touches their foreheads together, "You have grown and become so much more, Genji. You've wandered the world, seeking peace, and you've fought an uphill battle to find balance and harmony within yourself. You've shown discipline, control, and compassion. My light, my love, you are no longer who you used to be, and your teammates will see the changes you have endeavored to make in yourself."

 

Genji's hands clutch at Zenyatta's spindly, metal ones, as if he means to keep himself anchored in this world by holding onto the steadfast form of his teacher. "I do not know if they will even give me the chance."

 

Zenyatta hums in thought, the noise electronic, familiar, and soothing to Genji, "I cannot guarantee they will receive us favorably, Genji. But I have heard your stories of them, and I know you see the good in them. I trust they see the good in you, too, and would be willing to give you a chance. Dr. Zeigler in particular seemed fond of second chances."

 

Genji lets out a slight chuckle at the memories of the hassled doctor fluttering around, weary and almost endlessly patient around the wounded members, "I believe so. She has a kind heart and an unparalleled belief in humanity. Except for perhaps you, master."

 

"You are much too kind, dearest. Although, kindness is sunlight to the growing greens of the soul, and I would not mind it if my pupil were to give my soul some light," Zenyatta says slyly, blinking his lights in a cascading pattern to mimic a wink.

 

Genji snorts, "And here I thought the only reason you keep me around is for my blinding personality."

 

"Hmmm, well Genji, there is no denying that you are a wonderful light source," Zenyatta's cheeky response earns himself a slight, playful shove from the cyborg. "What other worries plague you, my dearest?"

 

Genji makes a flat humming noise, "Nothing that I cannot come to terms with. I've made my peace with them. You've talked me through the worst of my fears."

 

"What happens will happen," Zenyatta agrees. "And I will be with you every step of the way, Genji. Even if you are turned away, I will be right by your side; you do not go through this alone."

 

Genji's heart swells with an ocean of affection and love for the Omnic, the feeling rising up inside of him, chasing away the lingering swirls of doubt in his mind. He reaches forward to clasp Zenyatta's hands close to his heart. "I know, Zenyatta," he says, voice heavy with emotion. "I love you."

 

"And I love you, my dearest," Zenyatta replies, and Genji can hear the sky's worth of adoration and love in his words. 

 

In that moment, he feels calm and at peace, as if he discovered the essence of the world in that tiny cramped cabin much too small for even one person. Come what may, he will be able to weather it with Zenyatta by his side--like a small boat in the open ocean, rising and falling with the fortunes and sorrows of life.


End file.
